One-third of the food supply in the United States goes to waste. Will Dittmar and his organization, ExtraFood, have created a system to serve their community and turn wasted food into meals for those in need.
According to CBS News, Dittmar is the executive director of ExtraFood, which collects food from grocery stores in San Francisco that would otherwise be thrown out to rot in a landfill. The organization then distributes the food to nonprofits and pantries.
"We waste enough food to fill Oracle Stadium on a daily basis. It's unforgivable," Dittmar said of the home of the San Francisco Giants Major League Baseball team.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans waste about 133 billion pounds of food per year. Food decomposing in a landfill gives off methane gas, a significant contributor to rising global temperatures.
By using this food to feed people instead, Dittmar and his organization are not only helping to end hunger, but they are also working toward making the environment safer for generations to come.
The state agency CalRecycle recently granted $2 million to the San Francisco Environment Department, which is helping groups like ExtraFood do more good, according to CBS News.
California now also requires grocery stores to donate food that is past its expiration date — but still safe to eat — instead of trashing it.
Dittmar's goal is to rescue all this food and distribute it where it's needed most. Areas of the city like the Derek Silva Community, a nonprofit providing affordable housing and services for those living with HIV/AIDS, receive the rescued food to distribute to their members.
People in these communities, like Vicente Macias, who has HIV and is one of the only survivors among his group of 30 friends, have access to nutritious meals because of the food donations.
🗣️ What's the most common reason you end up throwing away food?
🔘 Bought more than I could eat 🛒
🔘 Went bad sooner than I expected 👎
🔘 Forgot it was in the fridge 😞
🔘 Didn't want leftovers 🥡
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
ExtraFood delivers groceries like produce, meats, and baked goods to residents like Macias, who's living off a $1,300 monthly income from Social Security.
Macias told CBS News: "In the supermarket those kinds of things, they are very, very expensive. So, for me this is glory."
Not all grocery stores are complying yet with the new California rules. The Zero Waste Coordinator at the San Francisco Environment Department, Alexa Kielty, said they're giving businesses until the end of the year to comply with the laws, per CBS News.
"You don't want to rush it because what you're going to end up with is organizations receiving food that may not be as fresh as we'd like it to be," she said.
But Dittmar and his organization are not deterred. In a single day, Dittmar was able to rescue 300 pounds of food and use it to feed members of his community.
"We have the food we need to feed more people; we just have to waste less," he said.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
